Setting Off! The Yan Yang Fleet Sets Sail!

In truth, Xu Mochen had long anticipated this scene; he only brought it up out of necessity. After all, "being among the first to discover the Douluo Continent" was a core part of the second trial of the Purple Imperial Chaos Dragon King.

Although the second trial clearly stated that this was not a mandatory task—only that he must "discover the Douluo Continent"—the prospect of becoming one of the first explorers offered additional rewards, something Xu Mochen was unwilling to miss at any cost.

To secure approval, Xu Mochen had no choice but to once again use the "Ancestral Trial" as a shield against Kong Dehan and the other insiders. It must be said that the "Ancestral Trial" was an omnipotent excuse; Kong Dehan, Cang Ming, Xu Yuanding, and the others, who had initially opposed Xu Mochen's decision, immediately did a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn and began to support his expedition.

After all, while others might not know the importance of Xu Mochen's trials, they were all too aware of it. If this truly was the will of the ancestors, it was something they could never defy.

Ultimately, after a heated exchange of words with the opposition, both sides reached a compromise. Xu Mochen could participate in this oceanic expedition, but he had to make detailed arrangements for the affairs of the Sun Moon Empire that he could not handle while away. Furthermore, he had to be accompanied by powerful protectors, and if the fleet encountered high-risk situations, they were to return immediately!

In addition, Xu Mochen was required to dispatch ships or use other means to report the current situation back to the country at all times, even while drifting on the open sea.

Furthermore, upon arriving at the Douluo Continent, Xu Mochen had to ensure the establishment of diplomatic relations with the various nations there, especially the two great empires and the Martial Soul Hall he had mentioned. If the Sun Moon Empire could not establish stable and peaceful relations with these three, they would strictly forbid him from remaining on the Douluo Continent. Of course, if possible, it would be even better if the Sun Moon Empire could establish a stronghold of its own on the Douluo Continent.

To this, Xu Mochen had no choice but to accept. The domestic arrangements were actually fine; in the Sun Moon Empire, which strictly practiced a constitutional monarchy, the Emperor's power was already tightly restricted. Leaving the remaining political affairs to Ye Xingyun and military affairs to Xu Yuanding was perfectly acceptable. At the very least, based on his observations over the years, Xu Mochen could be certain that their loyalty was beyond question.

As for academic research, Xu Mochen had already handed over the vast majority of useful knowledge he could collect to Kong Dehan and Cang Ming. He believed that with their wisdom, they could continue to drive the rapid development of the Sun Moon Empire's technology even in his absence.

Thus, over the next month, the entire Sun Moon Empire began intensive preparations for the ocean voyage. Sun Moon Port, the largest port in the Ming Capital, became incredibly busy. Countless goods moved in and out every day, and the entire port had long since entered a state of Level 1 alert. The Sun Moon Empire's naval forces had already moved the fleet into Sun Moon Port in advance, taking full control of all affairs within the port.

Everyone understood that this oceanic exploration not only likely meant the first discovery of another civilization by the Sun Moon Continent, but also marked the first time a successor to the Sun Moon Empire's throne had traveled across the ocean to visit another civilization. If successful, it would absolutely leave a brilliant mark in the history of the Sun Moon Empire! Therefore, no one dared to be the slightest bit careless.

Finally, the appointed time for departure arrived. Early in the morning, the weather was clear and the sun was high. The people of the Ming Capital had long since received the news and packed Sun Moon Port to the brim. Everyone wanted to witness the legendary Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire and the heroes about to set sail to explore a new continent and a new civilization.

Fifteen thousand-ton class soul-guided steam-powered ironclad warships sat like sleeping behemoths. Their thick, pitch-black armored hulls shimmered with a chilling luster under the sunlight. The rows of neat, majestic secondary batteries and the exaggerated caliber of the main guns emitted a terrifying, murderous aura. The towering steam chimneys on the hulls were like horns ready to sound, prepared to roar at any moment to propel these steel beasts into battle and crush any enemy that dared to invade!

At this moment, they were quietly anchored around Sun Moon Port, exuding a daunting aura, waiting for the signal to set sail! Leading them were three "behemoths" of over five thousand tons, including one eight-thousand-ton class and two six-thousand-ton class ironclad monsters. Without a doubt, these three were the leaders of the steel fleet!

Surrounding these giants were forty-three smaller steam-powered ironclad warships. Although these little guys were generally only a few hundred tons and lacked the majestic presence of the fifteen steel beasts, their presence, combined with the larger monsters, added a sense of grandeur to this terrifying fleet.

Without a doubt, these terrifying steel beasts were the handiwork of Xu Mochen. What was docked here was the result of almost all naval manufacturing over the past six years! It could be said that it had consumed the blood, sweat, and tears of countless researchers and skilled craftsmen of the Sun Moon Empire over countless days and nights! To command such a super fleet, cutting through the waves and conquering in all directions, was absolutely the dream of countless hot-blooded men!

Around the docks, countless military police stood guard, blocking the crowds trying to push past the cordon. On the warships, rows of naval officers in white uniforms stood in neat, solemn lines along the edges of the decks, heads held high, waiting for the arrival of the Crown Prince and other important personnel.

Accompanied by the sound of a whistle in the distance, a convoy of steam-powered vehicles soon arrived. Upon reaching the port, the people in the cars disembarked and arrived in front of the eight-thousand-ton giant ship docked at the pier. Yang Bingming, the fleet commander who had been waiting there for a long time, led the Marines guarding both sides and gave a standard, solemn military salute to the arriving group.

Then, Yang Bingming said in a resonant, sonorous voice: "Commander of the Yan Yang Fleet, Yang Bingming, leads all officers and soldiers of the fleet in welcoming His Highness the Crown Prince of the Sun Moon Empire and all officials aboard!"

"Thank you all for your hard work. I have great confidence in your military discipline and believe you will not let me down. Prepare to depart." Xu Mochen, at the head of the group, dressed in a red, blue, and white military uniform, returned the salute to Yang Bingming, a gesture that stirred a bit of excitement in Yang Bingming's heart.

After all, he had heard many legends about this Crown Prince. The astonishing achievements he had made in national policy, military reform, and technological development had left even the usually arrogant Yang Bingming full of admiration. In his eyes, Xu Mochen was simply a gift from the heavens to the Sun Moon Empire! That this renowned Crown Prince showed no airs toward him only increased Yang Bingming's favor, and he secretly vowed that during this voyage, even if he had to sacrifice himself, he would never let the Crown Prince come to any harm.

As everyone finished boarding, accompanied by a deafening blast of the steam whistle, the chimneys of all the ships in the Yan Yang Fleet began to spew thick black smoke. Amidst the intense cheers of the people at the docks, they gradually left the port, sailing in formation toward the open ocean.

According to the hints from Xu Mochen's second trial, the Douluo Continent was located about 4,800 nautical miles east of the Sun Moon Continent, requiring them to cross the entire Solo Ocean east of the Sun Moon Empire.

At the current speed of the Sun Moon Empire's fleet, barring any accidents, it would take about ten days to arrive. After all, the Sun Moon Empire's steam-powered ironclads were built using special metals from the Douluo Continent infused with spiritual energy, and the processed soul coal used as fuel provided energy incomparable to ordinary coal from Blue Star. Therefore, the speed of the Sun Moon Empire's steam-powered ironclads was naturally much faster than warships of the same type on Blue Star.

Accompanying Xu Mochen on this trip, in addition to more than ten thousand naval officers and soldiers, were Mo Wuying, the commander of the Shadow Guard who had reached the 96th rank of cultivation, as well as three other 8th-rank experts and eight 7th-rank experts from the Shadow Guard.

In addition, there were a group of Sun Moon Empire diplomatic officials led by the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gu Yuntong (well, in truth, the Sun Moon Empire's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had been disbanded for a long time; if not for the existence of the Douluo Continent, the entire ministry might have been completely forgotten). Throughout the journey, Yang Bingming patiently reported all information regarding the fleet to Xu Mochen.

The fleet was named the Yan Yang Fleet and was one of the three major royal naval fleets of the Sun Moon Empire. In fact, it had been established more than three thousand years ago, but because there were no enemies overseas, it had remained marginalized, its development almost stagnant, and many of the naval officers serving there were mostly just idling away their time.

It was not until six years ago, when Xu Mochen ordered a new round of military reform and gave the navy a major equipment overhaul—even telling the naval officers about the Douluo Continent—that the navy began to regain its vitality.

The Yan Yang Fleet was currently the only fleet in the Sun Moon Empire equipped with steam-powered ironclads, and the only one to have completely replaced old-fashioned paddle-wheel sailing ships with steamships. Six years ago, the Sun Moon Empire spared no expense to build this fleet, all for the purpose of this visit to the Douluo Continent!

The eight-thousand-ton flagship they were on was named the "Tianyang," while the other two six-thousand-ton ironclads were the "Mingyang" and the "Moyang," the three most powerful main warships in the fleet.

The "Tianyang" was equipped with six 355mm caliber naval guns and 32 secondary batteries of various types. Each main gun had a range of over thirty kilometers and could fire the Sun Moon Empire's most advanced 8th-rank soul-guided shells!

Its maximum power was equivalent to the destructive force produced when a 96th-rank soul master frantically absorbed soul power from the outside, compressed it to the limit within their body, and then detonated it with full force! It was absolutely far more destructive than the full-force strike of most 96th-rank soul masters!

Its lethal radius reached an exaggerated three hundred meters! Once hit directly, most soul masters who were not 99th-rank peerless experts would likely be killed or crippled!

In addition, the hull of the "Tianyang" was equipped with composite anti-roll fins, ballast tanks, gravity stabilizers, and various other advanced devices specifically designed to withstand extreme weather such as storms and tsunamis, capable of effectively resisting storms and tsunamis up to Level 8.

Not only that, the "Tianyang" used 450mm thick composite special steel synthesized from Cold Star Meteorite Iron, Vast Sea Magic Aluminum, and various other high-quality materials! Its defense was terrifyingly high, and coupled with the soul-guided protective shield that could be activated at any time, it could be said that this warship could remain unscathed even when facing the fierce attacks of a hundred-thousand-year sea soul beast.